Silver Linings
Celebrating 25 years in merchandise this year, Preseli MD Dave Wilson reflects on products, people, and staying successful.
Q What are the biggest changes to the industry in the past 25 years?
A When I first started in 1999, most of our orders were received by post or fax. Customers sent us physical artwork back then, in the form of bromides. We had an email address, but hardly anyone was using it. I even recall one of our senior colleagues giving the email address to someone over the phone: “It’s preseli-dash-uk-dot-com-dot-uk, or something like that…” – not realising that email addresses have to be as exact as telephone numbers.
Q How has Preseli changed in that time?
A In many respects, our business model is the same. We still buy from the Far East, we still have a parent company in Hong Kong which is as vital and pivotal as ever, and we still import promotional products and are a trade only supplier to the promo industry.
However, there was a significant change to the range of products we offer about 15 years ago. Originally, we were very much an importer and stockist of promotional products which we would then print in the UK, using outsourced printers and, for some time, our own in-house facility. In addition to stock ranges, we would also source bespoke products in China on an ad hoc basis.
The change came in around 2009 when we started to import lightweight, quick to produce, made-to-order items such as lanyards, pin badges and keyrings. Nowadays, we still have stock items in our range, but they only represent about 15% of our sales. The bulk of our business is the made-to-order ranges which are imported within 10 days to 4 weeks. The world has effectively become a smaller place.
Q What do you miss about the industry of 1999?
A Not much, if I’m honest. It was slow receiving orders by post and far from ideal by fax. I miss the fact that I had a more streamlined profile back then. These days I have to buy new clothes every time I go on holiday.
Q What do you wish you had known back then?
A I think that a lot of the time you just have to go through the process of learning on the job, sometimes it’s trial and error. I was very raw when I joined Preseli in 1999. My previous work experience, after leaving university, was in the travel industry, so very different to promo. I suppose that if I was to cherry-pick a single piece of advice to be given back then, it would be to remain customer-focussed, no matter the challenges.
Q Who has been your biggest influence?
A Peter Perowne, the chairman of the Preseli Group, my senior partner in Preseli UK (and also my uncle. He went out to Hong Kong well over 40 years ago and runs a number of successful businesses as well as investing very wisely in property.
Maybe the most important thing I’ve learned from Peter is to try to make Preseli as vital as possible to our customers, so that they come to trust us with the supply of our range of products. That way, our customers come to rely on us, just as we rely on them to sell our range of products, because we don’t deal with end users.
Q What are your hopes for the future?
A That Preseli will continue to be a trusted supplier to the promo industry. It would be nice to enjoy some years of political and economic stability – Covid and Brexit have been hugely unwelcome challenges in recent years.
Q How do you describe your management style?
A I am a people person and the way Preseli is run reflects that. Our team, both in Hong Kong and the UK (and even in France – bonjour Clare!) is the single most vital element of our business. I work hard to keep the team working well and that is reflected in our success. We were very happy to be voted BPMA Supplier of the Year and I think that shows, as much as anything, that we are doing the right thing in terms of our staff as well as our customers.
